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A Case of Tinea faciei Due to Nannizzia gypsea: Inflammatory Eruption on the Medial Angle of the Eyelid

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Abstract

Nannizzia gypsea is a geophilic dermatophyte, previously known as Microsporum gypseum before renaming under the new taxonomy. This organism is distributed all over the world and is considered to be involved in keratin degradation in the soil. Generally, human infection involves direct contact with fertile soil. Tinea caused by geophilic dermatophytes is much rarer than that caused by anthropophilic dermatophytes. According to the latest survey in Japan, dermatophytosis due to N. gypsea accounted for only 0.4% of cases. Clinical presentations vary and may mimic other inflammatory dermatitis, leading to incorrect diagnosis and delayed treatment. According to that past report, distal parts of the upper and lower extremities were more commonly affected, followed by the trunk, face and scalp, and rarely the nail plate. A 38-year-old woman presented with an approximately 3-week history of an itchy, solitary erythematous lesion on the left medial angle of the eyelid. Direct microscopic examination of scales revealed fungal elements, and the causative agents was identified as N. gypsea by morphological and molecular biological diagnoses. The eruption improved with systemic itraconazole treatment at 100 mg/day for 8 weeks. No recurrence has been seen for a year. However, she had no history of contact with any infectious source. Herein, we report a case of tinea faciei due to N. gypsea with an uncommon site and route of infection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Teikyo University Mizonokuchi Hospital, 5-1-1 Futako, Takatsu, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan

    Harunari Shimoyama, Ayaka Yo, Yoshihiro Sei & Yoshihiro Kuwano

  2. Medical Mycology Unit, Graduate School of Medicine, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan

    Harunari Shimoyama & Koichi Makimura

Authors
  1. Harunari Shimoyama
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  2. Ayaka Yo
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  3. Koichi Makimura
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  4. Yoshihiro Sei
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  5. Yoshihiro Kuwano
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Correspondence to Harunari Shimoyama.

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The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper and declare no conflicts of interest.

Human and Animals Right

This report is part of a study on a retrospective survey of dermatomycosis in Teikyo University Mizonokuchi Hospital. All procedures performed in that study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (research ethics committee of Teikyo University; Tei-rin 18–235) and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. In addition, the authors confirm that they have completed the checklist for submission of a case report to Mycopathologia published by Bouchara et al. [17].

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Shimoyama, H., Yo, A., Makimura, K. et al. A Case of Tinea faciei Due to Nannizzia gypsea: Inflammatory Eruption on the Medial Angle of the Eyelid. Mycopathologia 185, 699–703 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-020-00474-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-020-00474-5

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